Thefts hurt South Side effort

Thieves breaking into vacant homes to steal copper and other valuables have plagued the South
Side for years.

But they're also hitting worksites where new homes are going up.

On Tuesday, they took $4,300 worth of wood piled up outside two Innis Avenue sites. They are two
of the 40 rent-to-own homes the NRP Group is building in the neighborhoods with the help
of $1.2 million in federal neighborhood stabilization money.